The biggest new news is that Tesla already building and delivering model Y cars.
Before Q3 2019, Tesla was talking about late 2020 and then updated it to mid-2020 in the Q3 call. Now Tesla announces that Model Y is here.
Tesla is adding new capacity in Fremont. By Mid-2020 they will have 500,000 model 3 and model Y capacity in Fremont.
Tesla should be comfortably growing the volume of car production by at least 50% per year for several years. Tesla also will be growing solar and storage by 50% this year.
They also indicated that Model Y will have 315 miles of range. This is higher than the 280-mile range that was the old target.
They have record Q4 storage deployment of 530 MW which was a 26% solar growth QoQ.
Due to strong initial customer response in China, Tesla’s goal is to increase Model 3 capacity even further using existing facilities.
They have already broken ground on the next phase of Gigafactory Shanghai. Given the popularity of the SUV vehicle segment, they are planning for Model Y capacity to be at least equivalent to Model 3 capacity.
Autopilot & Full Self Driving (FSD)
To date, Tesla vehicles have driven over 3 billion miles in Autopilot mode. As our fleet grows, Autopilot miles increase exponentially, adding yet more data to our neural net.
All Tesla vehicles with the FSD computer have been updated with new software that can better detect new details in their environments, allowing us to show various lane markings, traffic lights, stop signs, cones as well as other vehicles and road users. Understanding the environment around a Tesla is key to enabling our cars to react to traffic lights and stop signs and take intersections through city streets. They are currently validating this functionality before releasing to customers, and they look forward to its gradual deployment.
Vehicle Software
In Q4, Tesla launched premium vehicle connectivity in the US for $9.99 (plus tax) per month. This enables customers to stream music or videos, browse internet or see live traffic through an embedded connection.
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No, I agree that very few sedans from the 1950s appeal to me, at least in stock form.
Take off the garish chrome grills, put on some fatter rubber and lower them a bit, a nice Buick or something looks OK. Even an FJ Holden.
But that’s not what was in the showroom in 1952.
One of the things I liked on the old cars was exterior visors. I’d like to see those come back. Especially in a powered automated way. Should be able to double as something to create more aerodynamic down force. Combined with tall windows rather than short ones.
Corvettes were nice, but obviously not family cars.
1950s? Oooh, that’s a hard decade to love.
Aston Martin DB4? MGA? Those look OK, but are hardly family cars (though you could try with the AM, it had 4 seats)
Jaguar Mk II? Bristol 406? Willy’s Jeep?
I like the Hummer H2 Luxury too.
Very curious about the new electric hummer. Superbowl revel…maybe.
You want good looking and don’t care if the style language is old? They should have made it look like a 1935 Duesenberg SJ J-562-2592 Dual Cowl Phaeton LaGrande, 1938 Pontiac Silver Streak, 1930 Lincoln K Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton, 1937 Cord 812 Cabriolet, 1941 Chrysler Town and Country woody or 1930 v16 Cadillac limo then.
Heck, put the kids in a rumble seat. Rain? Garbage bags work great as raincoats.
I can’t come up with a single mass produced car from the 1950’s that does not look like crap to me. Especially family vehicles. I like the Jeep Grand Wagoner from the 1980s. And the somewhat similar 1975 International Travelall. My dad had a 1966 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham…road nice in the back with the air shocks…lit wood tray tables…foot rests. Radio was decent too. My mom has a fully loaded 2000 Buick LeSabre. I think it has a nice look while maintaining a low drag coefficient. I like the Jaguar XK8 Convertible.
A person in the market for a new car probably is not considering used. So Tesla only has to be the best looking of the new cars for people who only care about looks to buy them.
Actually, I think the Y looks just fine. If you want to sit higher and want a more rugged look, or you like aggressive looking…you definitely won’t like it. And if you want bling/snob looks…it is not. If you want understated, smooth and balanced looking…maneuverable /easy parking looking in an…unapologeticly car-like shape….it should please.
Ha in europe there is now a cartel active driving up electric prices for cars.
After all the political pressure now another side takes the cash, leaving electric cars owners in tears.. i think this will happen everywhere, once the cartel is broken it will becomme taxed :))
I did say Tesla 3 and Y. So sedans are a valid comparison.
And being discontinued has no bearing on whether something is better looking or not. Does it?
OK, if it was decades ago it might have design features that just aren’t legal any more (tailfins?) but a Mercedes R-class hasn’t got any external design that a Tesla Y couldn’t use that I’m aware of.
The problem here a lot more manufacturers have design experience for cheap cars.
With higher prices you can afford to design cool things, people pay for it.
Now you have to compete against others, who have a strong footprint in here.
You need interest the common man with another budget, not the trendy people
By people who dont get tax breaks for using it as a personal owned car (instead of leased cars for a company).
It should be cheaper then the average 2nd had car (who they will most often choose).
Ea electric motors should be cheaper then combustion..
It should be designed to the edge in terms of cost and practical usability or else you loose.
Opel Ampera, or Renault Zoe, the Nissan leaf etc…
Mercedes R class discontinued…so not a competitor (well, still available in China). Falcon also discontinued in 2017 in Australia. Discontinued in the US in the 1960s I think. In any case, not a 7 seater. Mazda 6 seats 5.
The Tesla seats 7. Mazda 9 would be the competitor.
You still have to find a 7-seater in the same class that looks better…which I would put at $35,000 even if they typically are $47,000-$57,000 because of the cost of ownership gains from using cheaper electric power, lower maintenance costs…and what is likely to be a very high resale value…provided you maintain your interior reasonably.
If she begged me, I would kiss her.
<Checks google images to see who that is…>
I wouldn’t call her ugly by any stretch. But I wouldn’t use the word scrumptious either. Kind of plain really.
However I’ll normally reserve judgement on someone’s looks until I see video. A person can be let down by still images. (I suppose they could also turn out worse in video too.)
Looks are subjective. I have a friend who thinks Emily Ratajkowski is a dog. I, along with half a dozen other friends find her absolutely scrumptious. And I’m sure she drives quite well, like a Model 3.
A couple angles on some of them are interesting, but generally these just look boring: https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/best-7-passenger-vehicles
To me the best looking of these is the Hyundai Palisade. Not that it is anything special. The pug snouts of most of these are pretty atrocious in my opinion. The Mazda has an interesting front…but weird also. Not that the lights and such are not weird on the Hyundai.
I think the Model Y ought to do OK competing with this bunch.
Hmmm… reply disappeared.
Anyway, try 2.
Better looking van. Mercedes R class
Better looking family sedan. Ford Falcon. Mazda 6. Kia… all of them. Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes, Maserati…
OK, most of those fairly premium, but so is a Tesla.
It is a family car. How is it supposed to look? Show me a price comparable car that seats 7 that looks great. It is competing with minivans and such.
He put freaking gull-wings on the X. Probably would have done it here, if it had not turned into such a headache on the X.
Aerodynamics can only be so compromised. People want range out of an electric.
The model Y, like the model 3, are just boring, nothing cars to look at.
At least the cybertruck shows sign of a personality.
No, I don’t want to hear about how great it is to drive, that’s not what I’m talking about. I mean the looks.